Glow of Hope
by CrazySkittles
Summary: While stuck in the terrorist cell, Ziva mentally writes letters to her team in D.C. Season 6 spoilers! Now that Ziva is back in the States, what will happen between her and Tony?
1. Chapter One

**New story! I'll still write _Wishing on a Star_, so don't worry. Once this idea was in my head, I couldn't stop thinking about it. **

........

**Glow of Hope – Chapter One**

Ziva couldn't see anything except concrete and the occasional glow of a light outside the door.

It was that glow that kept her going—knowing that there was still light in the world, if not in here. To Ziva David, that light was like hope.

She knew that there was a man outside the door, but not the same one that came in the concrete room and beat her.

She knew that it was probably Mossad's fault that she was in here.

No, she knew that is was her fault, too. If she had figured out why Michael had gone to Washington earlier...it definitely wasn't to see her, like she'd thought.

Ziva wished she had a pen and some paper. She wanted to write letters to her team—no, her _old_ team—in D.C. Oh well. She could make do without; she'd "write" them in her mind.

_Dear Tony,_

No. She couldn't handle writing to Tony first. Too emotional.

_Dear Gibbs,_

_I wish I did not have to be writing this to you. But I am trapped, Gibbs. I went on a mission for my father and I was captured and am now in someplace in Africa._

_But I am not writing to you for sympathy. You know I would not do that._

_You were always more of a father to me than my own. I would want you to walk me down the aisle if Tony and I ever got married—_

Why had she written that? Tony and Ziva weren't even dating. Not even close. She mentally erased the sentence and continued.

_When I first met you, I did not know what to think. You wanted to kill my brother...and yet I could still see where you were...coming from? Is that it? I felt the same way when my little sister Tali died—but you do not know that story, yes? Ask Tony; I cannot think about her at the moment._

_If I never see you again, Gibbs, I wish you to know that I loved you. And that I'm sorry—I know, a sign of weakness—for leaving you and the team the way that I did. I wish now that I had not. I wish a lot of things._

Ziva knew that Gibbs would not like the "if I never see you again" bit, but she felt, at this moment, that it was true.

_I am writing letters to the rest of your—our—team as well. I would like you all to share them. Please._

_Take care, Gibbs._

_Love, Ziver_

Ziva repeated the letter in her head over and over until she had it memorized. _Maybe, once I get out of here, _she thought, _I can really send this to Gibbs._

She shook her head, surprised that she felt hot tears on her cheeks.

Ziva carefully lifted her swollen hands to wipe them away as the door swung open.

"Tell me. What do you know?" the man growled.

"About what?" Ziva said. She would protect her team. For anything.

The man swung his arm, hitting her in the side of her head. His grin was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.

........

**Sorry if that's sort of a cliffhanger. But Ziva only fainted, promise. **

**This idea came to me when I was reading letters from the pen pals we got in French class during 8th and 9th grade. xD **

**Review, please? **


	2. Chapter Two

**Glow of Hope – Chapter Two**

**............  
**

For a few days, Ziva drifted in and out of consciousness. Once she was able to stay awake, she was happy to find out that she could still recite Gibb's letter.

_I would want you to walk me down the aisle if Tony and I ever got married—_

She couldn't get that line out of her head. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about it ever since she'd first come up with it.

Ziva tried to shake her head, but it was too swollen and she had a very bad headpain—ache—from the man. Who had still not told her his name. Was that a good sign? Perhaps he didn't want her to be able to tell authorities who he was if she ever got out of here.

Ziva began another letter.

_Dear McGee,__By now, I would think that Gibbs has received my first letter. And I hope that he shared it with you, like I asked him to. I do not appreciate having to repeat myself.  
I am sorry that I left you in the way that I did. But I was just so...disappointed in Tony. _How _could he do that to Micheal? To _me_?_

Ziva was worried that so far, her letter sounded more like a therapy session than a message to a friend. But Ziva felt like she needed a therapy session at the moment.

_I know you have thought that Tony and I had a relationship. And, I thought we did, once, too. Or at least heading that way.  
I, apparently, was wrong, yes? Look where it's gotten me. Locked in a concrete terrorist cell with hardly any food and water and I can't even feel the sun on my face._

_I apologize, McGee. I know you do not deserve to be reading this. But I cannot handle writing to Tony at the moment. _

_I hope you show this letter to him. I hope you show this to him, and then you can write me back and tell me what his face looked like when he reads it._

Ziva was mad now. She did not know that she had such feelings for Tony. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She stayed that way for several minutes until she felt she was ready to continue her letter.

_I hope I am able to see you again, Tim. But I am not certain of my future.  
Take care.  
Ziva_

Ziva was crying again. If she could not control her emotions, she would soon crunch under the pressure.

"_Uh...crack, Ziva." _she could hear Tony correcting her.

Ziva repeated the letter in her head, happy with herself.

Now she just had to figure out how to get home. To D.C.

**..........**

**Ahhh it's always so hard for me to write about McGee. (Hehe that rhymed.)  
Review, please?****  
Thank you goes to:****  
Dolphin64575  
****BAMACRUSH  
****DancerGrl16  
AthosionWarrior  
GOTHGIRLREID  
SemperFiNeverForget051909  
Midnightblack-Doctor**

**Before I forget--I'm going on vacation to Pennsylvania from August 7th to 15th. I'll bring my laptop but I don't know how often I can update =)  
**


	3. Chapter Three

**Glow of Hope – Chapter Three: What now?**

Ziva had already written to McGee and Gibbs. That would mean...that the only one left was Tony.  
But Ziva still wasn't ready. She needed to write to him eventually, she knew, but she couldn't. She was still sifting through her feelings about him.  
She'd write to Abby. Then, she promised herself, she'd write to Tony.

_Dear Abby,  
I cannot imagine what I have done to you by leaving. Done to the team. But I needed to get away, not that it has done me any have been betrayed by a man, yes? Had your feelings hurt? I remember. You would always turn your music off, wear your hair down and seem..glum for the day.  
That is what Tony has done to me, Abby. Only Gibbs is not here to make me feel better.  
Enough about me. I want you to tell me about the team. How is everyone? Has McGee gotten to a new level in that game yet? How many girls' hearts has Tony broken? Does Gibbs have a new red head in his life?  
What about Ducky? His mother? And Palmer?  
I do not know how many days it has been, Abby. But I know you are probably counting. Gibbs told me how last year when the team was split up that you kept post-its counting the days. Only this time, Vance has not done the splitting. I have.  
Even when I try to talk about others, it always comes back to me.  
Do not worry about me, Abby. I will be fine. Play your music extra loud until I come back.  
Ziva_

Finishing her letter, Ziva smiled. Now she just had to figure out what to do.

The next few hours, Ziva repeated Gibbs', McGee's and Abby's letters to herself. She also came up with a plan.  
When the man came again, she had a story to tell him.

...

"Tell me." the man said, not even bothering to finish his statement, since he had said it so many times already.

Ziva nodded. "In D.C., there is a team," she began. "Of three, maybe four. They may have found a replacement for me. The leader, his name is Lewis Jackson. There is a technology geek, he is called Tommy McDouglas. And finally, there is Antonio DiNardo..."

Ziva continued telling her made-up story, going on so long that eventually the man sat down  
When she finally finished, he stood up, patted Ziva on the head with his dirty fingers and began untying her hands and feet.  
He grabbed her roughly by the arms, pinning them behind her back.  
He pulled open the concrete door and suddenly Ziva's glow of hope became a flood of light.  
Ziva was dragged down a hallway, past the other men. They followed her, forming a line.  
She didn't know if they knew her story was false and were going to kill her, or if they believed her and were now letting her go.  
Ziva was pushed out the front door, landing on her hands and knees in the sand.  
"Have fun," the men teased before getting into a Jeep parked a few feet away. She tried to climb in with them, but they fired their over their heads and raced away, sending dust into the air.  
Ziva was stranded._  
What now?_

**Sorry for the cliffhanger!! But now Ziva is free =D Sort of. And I know the way she got free wasn't very realistic. But I needed to get her out of there eventually.  
Review, please? I have chapter four written. I might put it up tonight...**


	4. Chapter Four

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!  
And now...the chapter you've all been waiting for...I present to you chapter four....Tony's letter! Haha.**

**Glow of Hope – Chapter Four**

At first, Ziva just sat outside. She watched the dust churn up around her, and thought about what she should do.

After a while, she tried to get back in the building where she had been kept. It took a long time, since she did not have anything to try to pick the lock with. Eventually it was opened, and a blast of cool air came out at her.  
Ziva hunted around, marvelling at how many rooms there were. She found a few water bottles, some granola bars and her backpack, that still had some of her things in it, like a canteen. At a sink she filled up all the water bottles, and washed out her cuts and bruises.  
When she was done, Ziva went back outside. She decided she'd follow the tire tracks for a while, hoping that would lead her to come kind of civilization.  
Ziva walked all day and all night, then spent the next day sleeping in the small shade of a rock.  
To pass the time, she began her letter to Tony.

_Dear Tony,  
I feel disgusted with you. You killed my friend. Someone I had known for four times as long as I have known you.  
How could you do that, Tony? I hope Gibbs has head slapped you. A lot._

Ziva surprised herself again with this anger. Her palms were hurting, and she looked down and found that she had dug her nails into them and they were now bleeding._  
_

_Maybe he _had _planned to hurt me. But I can take care of myself, DiNozzo. I am a Mossad-trained assassin. And you are...a phsical education major, yes?  
What were you even doing in my apartment? I know you have been there before, but to break in? And _shoot someone_?  
I was afraid of you. Tony. Were you acting out of hatred for Micheal? Out of love for me? Why?  
I am coming home. I am trying to, at least. I got out of the terrorist cell, but the men keeping me there have abandoned me. So I am walking.  
And I cannot help but to blame some of this on you, Tony. If you had not killed Micheal, we would not have had to go to Israel. If we had not gone to Israel, I would not have felt the urge to stay there.  
If we had stayed in D.C., what would have happened between us? I have felt a connection to you—I know that you have, too. Were we ever going to act on it?  
I liked you, Tony. And I think that Gibbs, McGee, Abby and Ducky knew it too. Perhaps not Palmer.  
But now, I do not know. Maybe once I get home, we can figure it out. We can go to Ducky for help.  
Once you receive this, I hope it is still some time before I arrive. So you can figure out what we should do.  
Ziva_

Ziva couldn't figure out how to sign the letter. She definitely wasn't going to write "love."

...

Ziva walked for five nights and almost went through all of her water and food before seeing something in the distance. A few tall buildings, she thought. She gave herself a once-over, pleased to see that most of the more noticeable bruises had faded. Less questions would be asked.  
Instead of walking only during the cooler nights like she had been doing, Ziva walked on during the day as well. It only took one more day and night before she reached the city.  
She walked along the main road, looking for a market or some other public place. When she reached a market, she found a woman with two children who looked friendly enough.

"Please," she asked. "Can you help me?"

**Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger! Don't hurt me =)  
Review, please?**


	5. Chapter Five

**Thank you for the reviews!! =D  
Glow of Hope – Chapter Five**

"_Please. Can you help me?"_

The woman looked up, and as she took in Ziva's appearance her eyes widened.

"Oh, my dear. What has happened to you? Come, come. Let us go back to my lady's house. I work for one of the wealthiest women in this part of Africa. I am sure she will be good to you. What is your name? Come, children, come! We must return home immediately. This woman needs help!"  
Ziva partly wanted to headslap herself and partly wanted to give the woman a hug. She smiled to herself, thinking about just how much this woman reminded her of Abby.  
Thirty minutes later, the woman, whose name was Imani, had led Ziva back to the house where she worked. She had a daughter, Zuri, who was four, and her brother, Kamau, was almost three.

Ziva was surprised at the size of the house. When Imani led her inside, another woman was waiting in the front hallway.  
"Ah, Imani, you've returned. Did you get everything I asked for?" she asked. "And who is this?" she said, looking at Ziva.

"My lady, this is Ziva. She came up to me in the market. She has been walking through the desert for many days. She is lost! Please, can we help her?"  
Ziva cut in, in an attempt to show that she could actually speak for herself. "I am Ziva, ma'am. I was trapped in a building for a long time, and I have just gotten out. I work for NCIS. I mean, Mossad."

"Well, which is it?" the woman asked, laughing. Ziva gave a sigh of relief. "I am Kamaria. Imani can show you to a room. We have plenty of space here. Please, make yourself at home. At seven o'clock, come down for dinner. You can share your adventures with me then."  
"Thank you. Thank you so much," Ziva replied. She was finally getting somewhere.

...

When Ziva had settled in, which hadn't taken long, given how many items she had with her, she looked around until she had found a pen and some paper.

She wrote out the four letters she had memorized, pleased that she was actually going to be able to send them.

_Gibbs, Abby, McGee and Tony, _she wrote, _I am safe. I escaped the terrorist cell, and I hope to be coming home soon. These letters, I thought them up while I was trapped. But you do not know this...read the letters. They will explain it.__It was my father. It was always my father. He did not like the fact that I was becoming attached to NCIS—to the team. He sent me on a mission, and I was captured and tortured for information. I made up a story, and they released me. I walked for almost a week before I came to a city. This woman, Kamaria, is helping me. I hope to see you all soon.  
Ziva_

She put this note in a envelope with the other letters, sealed it, and went to find Imani.  
"Imani?" she asked, once she had found her doing laundry. "I would like to send this letter. Do you have a stamp? And what is this address?"

Imani found her a stamp, and Ziva wrote out the return address. She addressed it to "Leroy Jethro Gibbs' team" along with the NCIS address.

As Ziva slipped her envelope into the mailbox, she felt like she was closer to getting home.

**So, what did you think? I still have a lot planned for this story =D  
Oh, Imani, Zuri, Kamau and Kamaria are all real African names. Imani means "faith," Zuri means "beautiful," Kamau is "silent warrior," and Kamaria is "like the moon."  
Review, please!!**


	6. Chapter Six

**I've a feeling we're not in Africa anymore... (how Tony was that?) Anyway, this chapter is set in D.C. =)**

**Glow of Hope – Chapter Six**

Several days later, a rather large package arrived at NCIS. It was addressed to Leroy Jethro Gibbs' team.

Glancing at the return address, Gibbs murmured, "Ziver?"

As he opened the envelope and read the letters inside, Gibbs sank down in his seat.

"Boss? You okay?" Tony asked. He saw the envelope on the desk, and his eyes softened. "Ziva..."

"Ziva?" McGee asked, finally looking up from his keyboard and going over to Gibbs' desk and standing next to Tony.

"McGee. Read these," Gibbs ordered, handing him both the letters addressed to Gibbs and McGee.

As McGee read, several emotions flickered across his face. Shock. Confusion. Fear. When he finished, he numbly passed the papers over to Tony, and Gibbs gave Tony his letter as well.

"Boss...I...oh, God. Ziva...poor Ziva," Tony sunk to the ground, dropping the papers. He put his head in his hands. "What did I do?"

"We have to go to Abby's," Gibbs announced, ignoring his agent moaning on the floor. "There's a letter for her, too,"

On the way down to Abby's lab, McGee read the letter to Tony. "Wow, Tony. You really—"

"Shut it, Probie."

...

Abby had tears running down her cheeks before she even finished the letter written to Gibbs. By the time she had read all four, she was sobbing into Gibbs' shoulder.  
"There you all are! I went upstairs, and the whole team is missing—Abigail?" Ducky walked into the lab, and caught sight of Abby. "Oh, my dear, what has happened?"  
"Ducky!" she wailed, throwing the letters at him.

After Ducky had read them, he was speechless.

"All right, all right. There's one more," Gibbs said, attempting to regain order over his team.  
"Read it!" chorused Tony, McGee, Ducky and Abby.  
"'Dear Gibbs...'" he began.

When he finished, Abby was crying again. McGee put his arm around her shoulders.

Tony was in shock. He blamed himself for what happened to Ziva.

Abby hit Gibbs as hard as she could on his shoulder. "Next time." she threatened, "read the one with the good news first!"

...

As Tony was driving home that night, he thought long and hard about what he should do. Unlocking his apartment, he dialed Gibbs' number.

"Yeah, Gibbs," he answered.

"Boss. Tony. I'm going, Gibbs. I'm going to get Ziva."

"Be back for work on Monday." Gibbs grunted. He hung up, and went back to his boat, smiling.

...

Tony grabbed a backpack, a few shorts and pants, his passport, badge, and gun. He drew a post-it from his pocket, where he had written the address where Ziva was staying.

Then he went to the airport, and bought a ticket for the earliest flight to Mogadishu, Somalia. Some threatening and badge-flashing was involved, but he finally was able to get to the gate.

"Flight 279 to Mogadishu, Somalia, is boarding. Flight 279, boarding now."  
Tony lifted his backpack to his shoulder, showed the woman at the gate his ticket, and walked through the tunnel to get on the plane.  
A very long, exhausting flight later, Tony was finally in Africa.

He asked people for directions every ten minutes, doing his best to understand. When they didn't speak English, he showed them the address. It took him an hour, but he finally found the house where Ziva had sent her letters from.

He took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell. A woman with a little boy on her hip answered.

"Hi," Tony said, his voice shaking. "Is there a Ziva David here?"

**Squeeeeeeeee! Hehe. Sorry there's so many time jumps here, but I wanted Tony to get to Africa. Aren't you glad I did?? xD  
Thank you for reviewing!  
And I don't know where in Somalia Ziva was, but Mogadishu is the capital, so I just picked that one. And I like how it sounds xD  
You know what? The only reason I ever started writing was because I wanted to beta read, and now I actually qualify. But I'm kind of addicted to writing this story xD**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Thank you to agentscully6 and Nemisses for reminding me that Somalia is a war zone (I knew I should have looked over my Global notes!). But since Tony is already there...**

**Glow of Hope – Chapter Seven**

"_Hi. Is there a Ziva David here?"_

"Ah, yes, yes! She didn't tell me she was having company!"  
"Well, that's because she wasn't expec—"  
"Ziva! Ziva, there is a very handsome man here to see you!" the woman continued, oblivious to what Tony was saying. "I am Imani, and this is my son, Kamau."  
"I'm Tony..." he trailed off.

At that moment, Ziva walked down the stairs, curious to see who was visiting her. Once she caught sight of Tony, she turned around abruptly, and ran back up to her room.  
"Ziva! Ziva, come on, just talk to me, please?" Tony cried, taking the steps two at a time after her, leaving Imani looking puzzled at the doorway.  
"No, Tony!" Ziva yelled, slamming the door behind her. She collapsed on the bed, and burst into tears. She put her face in the pillow, muffling her sobs.

"Ziva? Please? Open the door. I just want to talk to you. Then, you can come with me back to Washington. Or I'll go by myself." There was a moment of silence while Tony waited for Ziva's response, then he heard her padding towards the door. She opened it, not looking at him. She waved him inside, gently shutting the door behind him.

"We got your letters, Ziva," he began.  
"Really?" Ziva said, sarcastically.

"Well, yeah. Ziva, I had no idea that would happen. I'm so, so sorry for what I did to Rivkin. I shouldn't have. And then...you staying in Israel, that really shook the team up. And then we heard about you, being tortured, and that tore us all up."  
By this time, Ziva had tears running down her cheeks again. She got up from the bed, and began putting her things in her backpack.

"I—What are you doing?" Tony looked up from the comforter, where he had been tracing patterns with his finger.  
"Getting my things. Are we going back to Washington or not?"

Tony grinned.

...

Tony sat outside the house while Ziva said her goodbyes and thanked everyone.  
When she came out, Tony stood up, offered Ziva his arm and tried not to look to put out when she shook her head at him.  
Tony had rented a car from the airport, and the first few minutes of the ride were silent.  
Then, quietly, Ziva said, "Tony, I will forgive you. Eventually."  
"I know."

Once they had gotten their tickets, almost an hour after they had last spoken, Ziva asked, "Who is paying for this, Tony?"  
"Uh...me, I guess."  
Ziva opened her mouth, then closed it again, smiling.

...

The load onto the plane was uneventful. Ziva turned away from Tony and stared out the window, thinking. Tony sat listening to his iPod and watching Ziva. He hesitantly tapped Ziva's shoulder.  
"Zi? Zee-vah. I want you to listen to something."  
Ziva turned around, and smiled. She reached for the earbud, and Tony hit the play button.

_Take time to realize,  
That your warmth is  
Crashing down on in.  
Take time to realize,  
That I am on your side  
Didn't I, didn't I tell you._

_But I can't spell it out for you,  
You know it's never gonna be that simple  
No I can't spell it out for you_

_If you just realize what I just realized,  
Then we'd be perfect for each other  
And we'll never find another  
Just realized what I just realized  
We'd never have to wonder if  
We missed out on each other now._

Ziva finished listening to the song, a smile slowly creeping over her face. "Tony," she said, "Is there something you need to tell me?"  
"Nope," he answered, but he bent down and kissed her.  
"Tony," Ziva whispered against his cheek, "I've been thinking."  
"And?"  
"I forgive you."

As soon as the plane landed, Tony was tapping away at his phone. He grabbed Ziva's hand, and they headed down to the parking lot, since both only had their backpacks, which they had been able to carry on.

They climbed into Tony's car, and he drove them back to NCIS. He showed his ID to the security officer at the entrance. He seemed to recognize Ziva, and waved them through.

Tony lead her to the elevator, and they were quiet during the ride up, though Ziva was bouncing slightly on her toes. It was Saturday, and Tony was back more than a day earlier than Gibbs had told him to be.  
He grabbed her hand again, and lead her to the bull pen.

"Tony," she laughed, "I was not gone that long. I still remember—oh." Ziva broke off, seeing the balloons and posters hanging around the office. Abby jumped up from behind Ziva's desk—her _old _desk—and squealed. "Ziva!"

"Shalom, Abby."

"Ziva! We got your letters, then we were all really depressed, and Tony was sobbing"—Tony glared at her—"and then he left and now you're both back! Oh my gosh, Ziva, I missed you so much!" She paused, then squealed again. "You're holding his hand! Look, Timmy!"

Ziva looked up. She hadn't noticed McGee in the back corner. "Hello, Tim," she said, walking over and giving him a hug.  
"Hey, Ziva." he smiled. "You okay?"  
"Perfect."

"Gibbs! Look! It's _Ziva!_ Tony brought her back! _And _he was holding her hand!" Abby announced.

"Hi, Ziver," Gibbs said gently, hugging her. "You all right now?"  
"Yes, Gibbs. It is good to see all of you," she smiled.

"Gibbs! Did you _hear_ me? _They were holding hands!_"  
Ziva and Tony looked at each other sheepishly.

"They were?" Gibbs said. "Didn't notice. Come on, Ziva, we have to get you up to Vance's."  
Ziva bit her lip, and followed Gibbs towards the stairs. As she passed Tony, he squeezed her hand.

"There! They did it again!" Abby cried.

Going up the stairs, Gibbs looked at Ziva. "So," he said, "_were_ you holding DiNozzo's hand?"

Ziva smiled. It was good to be home.

...

"Your father know you're here, David?" Vance asked, frowning slightly. He hadn't asked how Ziva was, or what had happened.  
"Well, seeing as he practically sent me on a suicide mission, no," Ziva said sarcastically.  
"Ziver," Gibbs cautioned from behind her.  
"You do know I'm going to have to tell him," Vance said, ignoring Ziva's tone.  
"Yes. I am a...big girl, you say, yes? I do not belong to him."  
"Did you quit?" Vance wasn't letting up so easily.  
"I think the letter I sent did the trick, Director," Ziva said, in a tone that suggested that's all she had to say on the matter. Vance wouldn't know that she hadn't actually sent a letter. Yet.  
"Why are you at NCIS?"  
"Tony came to Somalia to get me, and he brought me here."  
"You realize since you quit Mossad, you are no longer a liason agent, and have no reason to be here?"  
"Well, yes, but—"  
"I want her on my team, Leon," Gibbs said fiercely, coming up behind Ziva and putting his hand on the back of her chair. Ziva looked up at him, smiling.  
"Well...I'll think about it."  
"By the end of today."  
"Maybe," Vance glared.

...

"Thank you, Gibbs! Thank you!" Ziva said on the way back down to the bull pen.

"You're a good agent, David." They'd reached the bull pen.

Tony shot out of his chair. "Hey! What'd Vance say?"  
"He said he would—" Ziva began.  
"About what, DiNozzo?" Gibbs cut her off, sending her a _shut up _look.

For the rest of the day, Ziva sat at her desk, absentmindedly clicking through old files.

She had sent a resignation email to her father—_Father, I quit. Love, Ziva._

She found her iPod in a desk drawer—surprisingly, her desk hadn't been cleaned out. Gibbs just shrugged and said they hadn't gotten around to it.  
She turned it on, and a song she didn't remember came on.

_I had no choice but to hear you  
You stated your case time and again  
I thought about it_

_You treat me like I'm a princess  
I'm not used to liking that  
You ask how my day was_

_You've already won me over in spite of me  
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet  
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are  
I couldn't help it  
It's all your fault_

She walked over to Tony's desk, iPod in hand. "Tony? I want you to listen to something," she told him, quoting his words from earlier in the day. As Tony listened, a grin spread over his face.  
"Zee-vah, is there something you'd like to tell me?"  
"Nope," she said, walking away.  
"Hey! That's not what you were supposed to do!" he complained. He turned back to his desk, mumbling.

"And what was she supposed to do, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, walking in.  
"Oh, well, Boss, um..."  
"Break rule number twelve?"  
"Well, technically, Boss, she doesn't work here...so it wouldn't be breaking the rule."  
"Think again, DiNozzo."

Ziva jumped up, excited. "Vance made a decision?"  
"Ya think?"  
"I am working here again?"  
Gibbs nodded, a smile spreading across his face.  
Ziva ran across the bull pen, and threw her arms around his neck.  
"Welcome back, Ziver."

**Whew -wipes forehead- That was a long one! =D I'm going to be doing this more, longer chapters with more of a break in between.  
Tony's song was 'Realize' by Colbie Callait, and Ziva's was 'Head Over Feet' by Alanis Morissette.**


	8. Chapter Eight

The newly-appointed Special Agent Ziva David sat at her desk, humming and smiling.

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo sat at his desk, humming and smiling.

Special Agent Gibbs sat at his desk, not humming (because he couldn't find the on switch to his iPod) but smiling.

He had always known something would happen between those two. Not his gut—but his heart.

Rule Twelve was there for a reason. To keep his agents' minds on their work and not on each other. But, he knew that Tony and Ziva would find a way to keep their relationship going. He couldn't transfer one of them—they'd both be miserable. He could fire them, but they were two of the best agents he'd seen in a while.

So, Gibbs decided to just watch. And pretend to ignore what he'd seen coming for four years.

...

McGee had been giving Tony and Ziva their space. Especially Ziva, since no one really knew what had happened to her while she was in Somalia.

But it was eating him up inside.

_Are they together?_

_Does Gibbs know? Of course he does. Why isn't he doing anything about it?_

_What happened to Ziva?_

"Tim? Can I help you with something?" Ziva asked.

"Uh...what?"

"You were googling."

McGee and Tony sighed. "Ogling."

"Whatever. McGee was staring at me."

"Ah...sorry. Just thinking." McGee said quickly, shaking his head.

It was a slow day for NCIS. No case, just paperwork. Paperwork that Tony was folding into paper airplanes and throwing across the squad room at Ziva.

"Open it, Zi!"

"Since when do you call me Zi?"

"Since five seconds ago! Open it!"

Ziva snorted and carefully unfolded the latest plane. _Dinner tonight? _it read in Tony's scrawl.

Smiling to herself, Ziva picked up a pen and wrote, _Definitely._

She refolded the plane, and threw it gently back at Tony. Gibbs walked in when it was halfway across the bull pen, grabbed it with one hand, unfolded it, and read it.

Tony and Ziva held their breath. At his desk, McGee laughed quietly to himself.

Gibbs looked at Tony and Ziva in turn until they looked away.

"Boss, I--"

"Gibbs, we--"

But Gibbs just folded the plane, and placed it on Tony's desk. "This yours?"

"Uh, yeah."

"You better finish that paperwork or you won't get to your dinner date tonight."

"Uh, sure thing, Boss."

Ziva's eyes widened. McGee's jaw dropped.

"Close it, Probie. You tryin' to catch flies?"

...

At the end of the day, Tony and Ziva walked out together. Actually, Ziva had sat at her desk pretending to do work for ten minutes while she waited for Tony to finish, but the end result was the same.

Tony grabbed her hand and swung them in between them, the silence that had fallen over them comfortable.

"Pick you up at seven?"

Ziva nodded, smiling up at him.

As soon as Ziva got home, she quickly showered, dried her hair and almost ran to her closet. Jeans, jeans, cargo pants, jeans, cargo pants, jeans...Ziva sighed in frustration.

Taking a deep breath, Ziva picked up her cell phone from where it lay on her bed. She dialed Abby's number and quickly prayed that today was not a bowling night with the nuns.

"Hello!" Abby greeted.

"Abby? It is Ziva. Do you...have a dress I could borrow?"

Abby gasped. "Ziva! Is this what I think it is?"

"Well, that would depend on what you think it is, but yes, probably."

"I'll bring some over in fifteen minutes!"

When Abby arrived, dresses overflowing in her arms, she ran into Ziva's room, dumping the dresses on her bed. Flashes of red, green and blue were everywhere.

"Oh, Abby, when you said some..." Ziva trailed off.

Abby's eyes widened. "This _is_ some! You should see my closets!"

"All right, well, Tony is picking me up in an hour."

Half an hour later, Abby and Ziva were down to three dresses. A short, silver one that landed right below Ziva's knees; a long, flowing red gown; and a deep blue, light dress that went down to mid-calf.

"Definitely the blue, Ziva! Actually, no, I really like the silver..."

"Abby!" Ziva moaned.

"Fine, Ziva! You pick."

"The silver."

"Yes! That's my favorite! Now, hair and jewelry!" Ziva groaned.

"Can I not just put it in a ponytail?"

"Sure, Ziva. If you want to look like a slob, go right ahead!" Abby pouted, her hands on her hips.

Ziva let out a huff of air and sat down in front of the mirror. Abby clapped.

Five minutes before seven, there was a knock on the door.

Abby squealed and ran to answer it. "Tony!"

"Abby?"

Ziva walked out of the back room, and Tony's eyes widened. "Hey, Zi."

"Zi? He calls you 'Zi?'" Abby cried.

"Yes, Abby. Thank you for your help." Ziva said pointedly.

"Oh, I see how it is. Okay. Well, you kids have fun!" Abby giggled and pushed Ziva out the door, running into Tony. She shut the door quickly behind them, then pulled out her phone.

"Timmy? You will never guess what just happened! Ziva and Tony are going on a date! A real date. Do you think Gibbs will be mad? What if he fires one of them? Oh, my goodness. This could be horrible! No. Positive thoughts, Abigail. Tony and Ziva will fall in love and get married and have three little children and they will be together forever! Timmy? Timmy? Are you still there?"

She pulled the phone away from her ear. _Call ended._ Abby huffed "Why do they always do that?" she mused aloud.

**_A/N:: Sorry for the wait. I didn't mean to go a month without updating. I've started my sohomore year of high school! Yaaay. Now I can be one of the people covering the freshmen with Silly String. (Yes, that did actually happen to me last Homecoming.)_**


End file.
